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Old 11-27-2012, 02:27 PM
 
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I've been doing some family history research, and I want to find the old house/farm where my great-great-great grandfather lived and had his family in the 1800s. But this post has to go in South Jersey and not the Genealogy forum, please.

Can anyone living in that area help me find where this house might be, or even if it still exists? I know when I get a chance, I can go and try to dig through Camden County records, but I sort of just wanted to know if the house is still there.

Here's what I know:

It was located on New Freedom Road, near "Long-a-Coming" which is now Berlin Boro. The farm was big I guess, and fell into both Waterford and Gloucester Townships. Part of it may have also been in Winslow Twp, but that may have been because during the time they lived there, Winslow Twp was carved out of a bigger Gloucester Twp. When I look on maps, it looks like now a few roads in that area have "New Freedom" in their names. I was hoping there was only one New Freedom Rd. I see a Berlin-New Freedom Rd, a New Brooklyn-New Freedom Rd, and a Watsontown-New Freedom Rd. I'm thinking that the "New Brooklyn" one might be "the" old New Freedom Rd, because it shows up (without a name) on old maps and actually goes near what had once been the village of New Freedom, NJ.

The house was built in the early 1800s by a Marshall family, then it was owned by the Stiles family, but my g-g-g-grandfather Nehemiah Nicholson bought it around 1833 from Mr Stiles. But he had lived there for years before, since he had married Mr Stiles' daughter in 1822 and they had started raising their kids there. Later Nehemiah's oldest son bought it, but Nehemiah continued to live there until he died in 1875. At some time later, the Nicholson son sold the property, and I believe it was divide up into many parcels of land.

A distant relative who is now deceased did some research in the 1970s, and left a letter saying that he had found the house. He said it had the original stone front, but the sides were now brick. He said in 1974, the house, on New Freedom Rd., was now owned by a Mr Lewandoski or Lewandowski. He also wrote that it was "about a mile or so" southwest of Berlin Boro. He, of course, did not write the actual address on New Freedom Rd!

Can anyone point me as to where this might be? When I go to Camden County to visit my parents, I plan to drive around and look, but I hope at the very least I can find the correct New Freedom Rd.

I was kind of hoping I could just find an online 1974 Camden County phone book, and find the Lewandoski address and figure that might be the house. But no luck. All the phone and address directories I have access to online are way before 1974 (and none of them contain my Nicholson ancestors or that geographic area). The census records from the mid-late 1800s don't give a street or road, just the post office they used. I'm sure most of what used to be the farm is now housing developments or stores, but I'm hoping the old house might still be there.

Anyway, if someone likes to help solve little mysteries, please share whatever info you might know.

Thank you so much!
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Old 11-27-2012, 04:18 PM
 
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I really wish I could help, but I really don't have much of an idea where it would have been. That area has become so built up over the past 20 years that I wouldn't even know where to start. Three ideas though...

1. There are still Lewandowski's living in Berlin. Charles and Linda Lewandowski live at 10 Greenleigh Ct. Berlin, NJ 08009. There is no phone number listed, but perhaps they would answer a letter. There is also a business listed as Lewandowski Companies Inc that is an excavation business based in Berlin. Their number is 856-767-4478. Given that it's a rather uncommon name and there just happens to be people with that name and a business with that name in Berlin, my guess is they are most likely relatives/descendants of the one who owned the property in the 1970's. Charles is listed in the white pages as being 45-49 years old so he may have actually grown up in the house you are looking for, or may know who did.

2. Stella Farms has been a staple in Berlin for as long as anyone can remember and they are located at 459 New Freedom Rd. Their phone number is 856-767-3144. For all anyone knows, they may be farming land that your ancestors used to own. At the very least that family has owned that farm in Berlin for generations. They may very well have at least some idea of where that house used to be.

3. Berlin has a historical society. Given that what you are looking for may very well have been one of the original homesteads in Berlin and the house was apparently still standing in the 1970's, then chances are they know about it and could tell you where it is. Here is their website, which contains a contact page with a regular mail and email address:

The Long-A-Coming Historical Society
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Old 11-29-2012, 01:12 PM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,809 posts, read 34,424,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TracySam View Post
I've been doing some family history research, and I want to find the old house/farm where my great-great-great grandfather lived and had his family in the 1800s. But this post has to go in South Jersey and not the Genealogy forum, please.

Can anyone living in that area help me find where this house might be, or even if it still exists? I know when I get a chance, I can go and try to dig through Camden County records, but I sort of just wanted to know if the house is still there.

Here's what I know:

It was located on New Freedom Road, near "Long-a-Coming" which is now Berlin Boro. The farm was big I guess, and fell into both Waterford and Gloucester Townships. Part of it may have also been in Winslow Twp, but that may have been because during the time they lived there, Winslow Twp was carved out of a bigger Gloucester Twp. When I look on maps, it looks like now a few roads in that area have "New Freedom" in their names. I was hoping there was only one New Freedom Rd. I see a Berlin-New Freedom Rd, a New Brooklyn-New Freedom Rd, and a Watsontown-New Freedom Rd. I'm thinking that the "New Brooklyn" one might be "the" old New Freedom Rd, because it shows up (without a name) on old maps and actually goes near what had once been the village of New Freedom, NJ.

The house was built in the early 1800s by a Marshall family, then it was owned by the Stiles family, but my g-g-g-grandfather Nehemiah Nicholson bought it around 1833 from Mr Stiles. But he had lived there for years before, since he had married Mr Stiles' daughter in 1822 and they had started raising their kids there. Later Nehemiah's oldest son bought it, but Nehemiah continued to live there until he died in 1875. At some time later, the Nicholson son sold the property, and I believe it was divide up into many parcels of land.

A distant relative who is now deceased did some research in the 1970s, and left a letter saying that he had found the house. He said it had the original stone front, but the sides were now brick. He said in 1974, the house, on New Freedom Rd., was now owned by a Mr Lewandoski or Lewandowski. He also wrote that it was "about a mile or so" southwest of Berlin Boro. He, of course, did not write the actual address on New Freedom Rd!

Can anyone point me as to where this might be? When I go to Camden County to visit my parents, I plan to drive around and look, but I hope at the very least I can find the correct New Freedom Rd.

I was kind of hoping I could just find an online 1974 Camden County phone book, and find the Lewandoski address and figure that might be the house. But no luck. All the phone and address directories I have access to online are way before 1974 (and none of them contain my Nicholson ancestors or that geographic area). The census records from the mid-late 1800s don't give a street or road, just the post office they used. I'm sure most of what used to be the farm is now housing developments or stores, but I'm hoping the old house might still be there.

Anyway, if someone likes to help solve little mysteries, please share whatever info you might know.

Thank you so much!
The purchase may be recorded in Woodbury. Camden County did not exist yet when he bought it.

This might help. . . my ancestor, Hans George Hannold was the wheelwright in colonial Haddonfield. His 2nd wife lived in his house, as his widow, well into the 1800s. Prior to her death, Potter St was built next to her, to connect between Kings Highway & Long-A-Coming Road (Haddonfield-Berlin Road)
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Old 11-30-2012, 02:54 AM
 
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Genealogy Resources | Camden County Library System
The Camden County Library has Camden County directories going back to 1863.

Old city directories listed house addresses, not certain if rural addresses are listed, but worth a try.

Another way to figure out the exact location may be to locate wills of your ancestors. If someone was inheriting the property than the exact location should be spelled out in the will.
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Old 11-30-2012, 04:29 AM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
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Join the Yahoo group ghosttownsofsouthernnj. The board moderator Barry knows a lot about about local history. There's also njpinebarrens.com and West Jersey History Project. Take a look at the USGS 1930 aerial photos. That'll give you some idea of where to start looking for the house if it's still there.
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Old 12-01-2012, 11:51 AM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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I looked on Mapquest & clearly saw New Freedom. New Freedom Road runs south out of Berlin toward New Freedom. Look on the old maps for Long-A-Coming Road coming out of Haddonfield & check for an intersection with New Freedom. Chances are that they're going to intersect. Look on the federal censuses, in the 1800s for neighbors. Make a list & then check roads near New Freedom. Chances are that at least one or two family names will show up as road names.
.
ETA: contact this person. She's picked up Nehemiah through his wife, Ann Stiles. http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestr...ady&id=I034227 Someone in the Stiles family might have the location. A lot of the old roads have shifted, so I'd be looking anywhere in the vicinity of New Freedom Road.

Last edited by southbound_295; 12-01-2012 at 12:51 PM..
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Old 12-03-2012, 01:54 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound_295 View Post
.
ETA: contact this person. She's picked up Nehemiah through his wife, Ann Stiles. RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Swedish Longacre's and Related Families Someone in the Stiles family might have the location. A lot of the old roads have shifted, so I'd be looking anywhere in the vicinity of New Freedom Road.
I've already seen this, and it leads to incorrect info. The person listed there as Ann's father died in 1793. Her father was really a different Thomas Stiles. I don't have much faith in that poster/treemaker's info. But thanks for finding it.

Thanks also to the others who offered other resources. I know at some point I'll have to go and do research in person; I just wanted to get whatever I could online for now, and figured someone might know of a house on that road that looks to be older than 200 years. When you look at Mapquest vs. Google maps vs. paper road maps, there are several roads that have "New Freedom" in their name. There is one road on Mapquest that is just called New Freedom Rd, but on other maps, it's New Freedom-dash-something else road. Basically any road that led to the now-nonexistent town of New Freedom ended up with New Freedom as part of its name.
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Old 12-03-2012, 02:40 PM
 
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,809 posts, read 34,424,526 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by TracySam View Post
I've already seen this, and it leads to incorrect info. The person listed there as Ann's father died in 1793. Her father was really a different Thomas Stiles. I don't have much faith in that poster/treemaker's info. But thanks for finding it.

Thanks also to the others who offered other resources. I know at some point I'll have to go and do research in person; I just wanted to get whatever I could online for now, and figured someone might know of a house on that road that looks to be older than 200 years. When you look at Mapquest vs. Google maps vs. paper road maps, there are several roads that have "New Freedom" in their name. There is one road on Mapquest that is just called New Freedom Rd, but on other maps, it's New Freedom-dash-something else road. Basically any road that led to the now-nonexistent town of New Freedom ended up with New Freedom as part of its name.
A lot of the online trees have incorrect information, especially in families where the first names run. That tree looks like it's missing a generation. I'd still contact her because she probably got that from someone else. I'd contact the Haddonfield Historical Society. I think that you might have some luck with Stiles researchers. Keep in mind that Camden County did not exist when the Stiles/Nicholson sale occurred. The sale should be in Woodbury. The Long-A-Coming historial Society is also a good idea. When I work preCivil War fammmilies I try to work as many options as possible.

Also, contact the person who was mentioned by NJGoat. Keep in mind that many rural homes did not have street addresses until fairly recently. I had an uncle who lived in the country whose mailing address was RR2 Box 210. He got a street address in the 1980s.
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Old 12-04-2012, 02:23 AM
 
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This link may be of interest...

Full text of "Biographical review : containing life sketches of Camden and Burlington counties, N.J"

Scroll down the page to Nehemiah H Nicholson of Waterford/Gibbsboro. Possibly a son or grandson. It makes mention that the father passed in 1875.
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Old 12-05-2012, 11:35 AM
 
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Really, thanks to all of you who are trying to help by providing genealogy resources. But I already have that info (I have the info that's available online, and I know of the places I need to go to in person some day when I get a chance.) Yes, I have that biographic excerpt on Nehemiah junior.

I really just posted this in the NJ forum (instead of the genealogy forum) because I was hoping a local person would say "Oh yeah! I knew the Lewandoski family! They lived at XYZ New Freedom Rd in the 70s." Or someone would say "I know that whole road, and there are only 3 houses that could be over 200 years old, 123, 456, and 789 New Freedom Rd. That should narrow it down."


Youy all are great, really, by trying to give me genealogy reseources, but I don't want you to waste your (well-appreciated and valuable) time finding stuff I already know from my ancestry research.

This is just about the house, and where it might be. I was hoping someone might be very familiar with that road and the houses along it, or with the Lewandoskis and where they lived in 1974. Or maybe someone down there has an old phone book from back then, and can look up Lewandoski and see which number he was on New Freedom Rd.

Also, if any locals could narrow down which of the roads with "New Freedom" in their official name could be THE New Freedom Rd. If somebody in Berlin Twp refers to "New Freedom Rd," do they mean Berlin-New Freedom Rd, New Brooklyn-New Freedom Rd, or Watsontown-New Freedom Rd.
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